Fiber optic cables are designed with features that provide various functions during installation and use. For example, the cables may include one or more optical fibers for transmitting signals, protection layers and jackets disposed about the optical fibers for inhibiting damage during installation or use, strength members for strengthening the cable during installation or use, and separation members or corresponding structures within the jackets to assist in separating portions of the cable or accessing the optical fibers when desired.
As noted in JP Pub. No. 2002-090596, certain commonly available drop cable designs incorporate preferential tear notches or the like. The notches are located adjacent the optical fibers so that the craft may access the optical fibers when needed. Unfortunately, such notches may allow the unintended consequence of insect penetration into the cable and ultimately the optical fibers, thereby damaging the cable. For instance, insects such as cicadas may infest the fiber optic cable by laying eggs within the notches. Identifying and repairing such damage for a lengthy aerial drop cable can be a disruptive and expensive task. Thus, the notches of such cable designs, while suitable for providing ready and reliable access to the optical fibers during installation or service, can be problematic in not deterring undesirable insect access after installation. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a fiber optic cable design including a preferential tear feature not only providing adequate craft access to the optical fiber or fibers within the cable, but also reducing the opportunity for insect damage to the fiber optic cable. It would also be desirable to provide drop cable designs with improved optical fiber access features, in particular for separation of a carrier portion of such a cable, and/or for reducing the weight of the cable per unit length.